5 PS3 games that deserve a sequel

While some franchises simply refuse to go away, others seriously struggle to make the leap into multi-game territory. This can be for a number of reasons, but usually comes down to poor sales, regardless of how popular the game is among those who played it. This week, we’ve been discussing the likelihood of whether or not we’ll see a sequel to five of our favourite PS3 games.

3D Dot Game Heroes

You can take one brief glance at 3D Dot Game Heroes and immediately be able to tell its country of origin; in this case, Japan (as if the game’s title didn’t already give that away). An old-school role-playing game, heavily influenced by classic franchises such as Zelda and Pokémon, 3D Dot Game Heroes is about as niche a title as you can find today.

Despite this, the game still found an audience in the West, with North American sales six times higher than publisher Atlus anticipated. Unfortunately, sales in the game’s native Japan were exceptionally low, rendering a sequel extremely unlikely. Regardless, if you’re a fan of retro RPGs and are yet to play it, we implore you to grab a copy (it’s cheap as chips now!).

Heavenly Sword

Heavenly Sword arrived at a time when feelings towards the PlayStation 3 were still scathing. It’s therefore possible that the negative press surrounding the console hampered the game’s critical reception, which was decent but slightly disappointing. Despite releasing over five years ago, we’d wager that Heavenly Sword is still the dark horse favourite PS3 exclusive of many a gamer.

The original developer, Ninja Theory, has moved onto pastures new with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the upcoming DmC reboot (which looks awesome, despite what anyone says!). However, Nariko’s appearance in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale shows that Sony hasn’t completely forgotten about the Heavenly Sword IP, so a sequel isn’t impossible. PS4, anyone?

L.A. Noire

Developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire was originally intended as a PS3 exclusive, but Sony eventually abandoned the project due to spiralling costs. The title was then taken up by Rockstar, without whom it is quite possible the game would never have seen a release. Despite a great reception and strong sales, the title’s extended development meant the developer was forced into liquidation.

Team Bondi’s founder, Brendan McNamara, has now started a new venture and is currently developing another original game, Whore of the Orient, for PC and next-generation consoles. Rockstar, meanwhile, still owns the L.A. Noire IP, and has made no secret that they are open to creating a sequel. Come on, Sam and Dan, make it happen!

Mirror’s Edge

Rumours and hearsay surrounding Mirror’s Edge 2 have been flying around the internet for years now, but we’re yet to see any definitive proof of its existence. The original was one of those rare games that essentially created its own genre, and its first-person free-running gameplay still remains innovative even four years after its 2008 release.

However, as with most innovations, it struggled to appeal to the wider gaming market, and sales were subsequently far lower than EA’s projections. Despite this, the game has garnered a cult following, and a 2D side-scrolling version was released for iOS in 2010. But what we really want is a proper sequel, so we guess we’ll just have to wait and see; all eyes on next-gen.

Rage

If you ask us, Rage was one of the best games of last year, fusing aspects of Fallout and Borderlands to create a truly awesome experience. It has also sold a respectable 1.5 million units; however, considering how long the game took to make (being id Software’s first completely original project since 2004’s Doom 3), it’s unlikely it was able to recoup the development cost.

This leaves the possibility of a sequel unlikely, especially factoring in the bad press the original contended with upon release, regarding the technical issues of the PC version. We do know one thing for sure though; id is currently working on Doom 4 so, judging by the studio’s track record, we won’t be seeing a sequel to Rage for a very, very long time yet.